Emergency-switch protector



IF. BEYCHEFJ. EMERGENCY SWITCH PROTECTOR.k 'AFPucATloN FILED wem. 1918.

Patented Feb. 8,1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANZ A. BOEDTCHEB, OF BERGENFIELD, NEV JERSEY.

EMERGENCYrS'i/VETCH PROTECTOR.

AppIcation iled August" 21, 1918.

To ZZ 'zo/lem t may Conce/ru Be it known that l. FRANZ A. BonDToHnn, a citizen ot the United States, residing in Bergentield. county of Bergen, and State ot hlew Jersey, have invented a certain new and usetul Emergencywitoh Protector, ot which the following is a specification.

This invention is an emergency switch protector, and, speaking gcnerall v,the obiect of the invention is to preclude such a switch from being tampered or inte fercd with until it becomes necessary to use the switch for its intended purposes, whereupon it is necessary to breal; or disrupt some tene i protecting element, such as a glass 'forming one otl the elements ot the switch mechanism easing or housing.

,is is well known, it is customary to install in elevators, an emergency switch, controlling the operating circuit; c. g., the circuit in which the magnet switches are located. lt is common practice to inclose such switch mechanism and operatiif push buttons in a casing provided vnth a glass panel, the aim being to protect the mechanism against mischievous or inadvertant operation by passengers, or others, to the extent ai'iiorded by the glass panel, since the push buttons are not accessible for operation until after the glass panel has been broken.

ln the protective easings described, however, the containing the glass panels, being usually screwed in position or otherwise detaehably secured, can be readily removed and replaced without breaking the panels, and, accordingly, comparatively little protection is afforded by such casings.

The present invention obviates the disadvantage referred to, and others, in that it embodies protective casing ot the general type specified, but one wherein the push buttons are absolutely inaccessible until after the glass panel has been broken, thereby precluding any tampering with the switch mechanism under normal working conditions.

ln the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated one practical, and the preferred, embodiment of the invention, but the construction shown therein is illustrative only, and not exclusive of the different forms in which the invention may be embodied.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of the exterior of the casing, certain parts ot the interior structure being shown in dotted lines;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

serial No. 250,775.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 2 2 ot Fig, l, loc-ing in the direction of the arrow appearing on said line; and

' 3 is i cross sect-ion on line 3 3 of ,respectively/3 bent in U-shaped form, as

shown in Fig. 2. F rame 7, through the medium ot an upright member 10, secured to porcelain insulating' casing ll, which incases the switch mechanism, and the screws l2 and i3 which take into the top and bottom portions, respectively, ot' trame 7, serves to support said porcelain insulating casing 1l. The customary push buttons are designated lll, and they project through the tace plate l5, which is secured to upright member l0 by screws 16.

From a structural standpoint, the essence of the present invention, in the embodiment shown, consists in providing on the inner side walls of housing 5, leat` springs 17, atA fixed to the casing at one end as at 18, leaving the other ends 19 free. These free ends project inwardly as shown in `Fig. 3, and stamped up therefrom are the inwardly eX- tending ears 20,

The supporting trame 7, and associated switch mechanism can be handled as a unit, and the `trame is secured to the inner wall oi the car, in any convenient location by screws or otherwise. Then the casing 5 is inserted in place over tra-me 7 and associated parts, the ends i9 and lugs 2() ot springs 17 are 'forced apart, thereby permitting plate l5 to assume a position rearwardly of the lugs, whereupon the lugs, owing to the ends of the springs moving inwardly, are carried behind plate l5, whereby, the casing is locked in position, see Fig. 3.

As a result of the construction described, the switch mechanism cannot be operated without breaking the glass panel, and, moreover, the glass panel is inadvertently or intentionally broken, it cannot be replaced without removing the casing from the housing and this can only be done after the ends o'tvthe leaf springs have been spread apart suiliciently to permit the lateral edges oi' the face plate 15 to pass ,the lugs 20.

It will be understood that slight changes may be made in the structurel described, such as the substitution of equivalents, without departing 'from the spirit or substance ofV the invention, the scope oi' which is commensurate with the appendedA claims. Y

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by lietters Patent, i

l. A device oft the class described embodying a fifamewm'k adapted to be secured vto a fixed support, switch mechanism mounted on the frame-work, a casing' provided with an open back and having a 'front opening provided with a transparent closure inserted I from the back ot the casing; and remiwable only through'said back except by breakage of the closure, and spring' fingers mounted on the interior of the casingr and adapted to engage with the frame-work when the casing is brought into a position to inclose said frame-work for the purpose iii-automatically looking the casing in position, whereby it can only be removed or the switch mechanism operated by iirst breaking' the transparent closure.

In a device of the class described, switch mechanism embodying a rigid frame-work supporting electric circuit controlling mechanism and adapted to be, in turn, mounted on a lined support, acasing' provided with an open baclrand a transparent closure at the front thereof, said transparent closure being removable through the 'front openingr only through breakage of the closure, and resilient catches mounted on the casing and adapted to automatically engage with the rigid frame-work of the switch mechanism when the casing is brought into a position to house the'switch mechanism with the open back of the casing against the iiXed support, wherebyl theremoval of the casing or the operation of the circuit closing mechanism is precluded until the closure is broken.

3. ln a device of the class described, switch mechanism embodying` a Vframework supporting electric circuit controlling means, a casing open at its back and front and provided at its front with flanges formed by bending in the walls of the casing, a transparent closure inserted into the casing from the back thereof to rest against the inner facesv of said flanges, and of such size as to be removable from the casing only through the back opening except by breakage of the closure, and resilient means positioned on the interior of the casing and adapted to automatically engage the saine when thc casing is brought into a positionto house the switch mechanism ior the purpose of lockingthe casing against removal, and to preclude the operation of the circuit controlling means until the transparent closure is broken.

4. A device of the class described embodying switch mechanism adapted to be mounted kon a lined support, a casing provided with an open back and having a front opening ci' lesser area than the cross sectional area of the casing', a transparent closure of greater size than the front opening positioned within said casing and covering'the front opening. whereby said closure can Vonly be removed through the front opening, by breaking `he closure and resilient means associated with the switch mechanism and with the interior of the closure for automatically locking` the closure in a position to house the casingvvith the open back ot the casing against the lined support, for the purpose oiv precluding removal of the casing or the operation of the switch mechanism until the transparent closure is broken.

In testimony' whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.V

FRANZ A. Bonnrorinn. 

